


Masterly Reclamation

by Merfilly



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Sith Shenanigans, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 05:35:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8044378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: Qui-Gon dies on Tatooine... or so Obi-Wan thought. Years later, he gets a chance to rectify his mistake.





	Masterly Reclamation

**Author's Note:**

> This one is a bet sketchy, but the muses have been difficult and sitting on it longer is not going to help.

"NO!"

Obi-Wan's cry echoed inside the ship, even as he knew where his duty stood. He had felt the blow like it was his own, as the strange warrior struck the elder man down.

"We have to escape," the captain said, even as it set poorly on him to leave the Jedi in the sands.

"Go."

Obi-Wan felt his soul shrivel away inside him, but he would complete the mission. He was aware of the young boy watching him, fear rolling off of him, but the newly orphaned padawan could not bring himself to care.

* * *

Maul dumped the stasis-bound Jedi in front of his master. "As you commanded."

"Excellent, my student. Excellent."

* * *

Anakin yelled a warning to his Master a half-second before a red lightsaber ignited and plunged toward Obi-Wan's unprotected back. The padawan's warning had been enough, though, and Obi-Wan whirled to block, before springing back to get distance between himself and the tall warrior.

Anakin was finally able to dispatch the two assassin droids in front of him, and rushed to assist. The furiously strong blows were jarring on both of their shoulders as the new Sith warrior forced them to defend, allowing them no openings to strike and end the fight. As he fought, he felt the confusion his Master was exuding, his footwork minimal and his defensive blows turning every strike with textbook precision.

"Withdraw!"

The order was impossible to believe, yet Anakin could feel the edge of the roof too close. He leaped over the warrior, parrying an opportunistic strike. He heard Obi-Wan take advantage of the opening, only for the clash of a lightsaber to tell the padawan it had been blocked. He turned, to try and engage again, but Obi-Wan unleashed several blows that forced the warrior off-balance… and then he was sprinting toward Anakin. They ran for their ship, and only inside did Anakin lash out.

"We could have taken him!"

"No, my young padawan, not necessarily. And we have more important things to do. Get us out of here." As Anakin fumed but complied, Obi-Wan fumbled with the comm system, opening a secure channel to the Temple. "Yes, Knight Kenobi… patch me through directly to Master Windu."

"Kenobi?" Windu's voice asked.

"All general codes to the Temple and Jedi facilities must be changed immediately. I believe I found the source of the data searches that have been plaguing Madame Nu," Obi-Wan said.

As he did, Anakin became aware that his Master was very shaken, ashen in his appearance and threaded through with shock in their training bond.

"I will do so. I expect an explanation when you arrive."

"Yes, Master Windu."

Obi-Wan cut the comms and then sat back in his seat, as Anakin got them clear of the planet. When the pilot could look at his companion, it was to see his color had not improved.

"Master?" he asked softly.

"Shh, Anakin… take us home."

* * *

Obi-Wan said nothing the entire trip back, barely eating and only making certain Anakin's injuries were tended to. He strode purposefully through to the Council room, sharing nothing but his sense of duty in the bond. Anakin hurried to keep up, glad he was slowly getting his height in to make that easier.

"Kenobi," Mace greeted as the pair walked in. "What prompted your earlier call?"

"We faced a new Sith, or so I must suppose the warrior to be, Masters," Obi-Wan said softly, gathering all of his mastery of self to say what needed to be said. "By height and fighting style, I believe, Masters, we have lost one of our own in a way none of us saw."

"Speak plain, you must, Obi-Wan," Yoda said gently, apparently sensing something under the steadiness. 

"I believe the Sith warrior to be my Master."

"You stated he died on Tatooine!" Master Tiin protested, even as Master Gallia lifted a hand to her chest in shock at the idea.

"I thought I felt a deathblow, yes, but due to the nature of the mission, I did not, at that time, engage the Sith that struck him. I had to finish the mission."

"Duty, yes," Yoda said, his ears flattening. "Possible, not returned to the Force, Qui-Gon Jinn was. In enemy hands, possibly he recovered."

"That is a lot of supposition," Mace pointed out.

"I know my master's style. I can counter it in my sleep," Obi-Wan said. "But it was a rare day that I could overcome him if I was already tired, as I was from our running fight on Rodia. I made the choice to withdraw from the fight, to bring the news back, rather than risk losing that fight, losing Anakin either to death or capture. I'm certain the Sith would be glad to have such a strong but still trainable padawan… and if they can break my master's dedication to the Order, a half-trained padawan would be truly at risk."

Anakin had been stunned at the revelation, but he opened his mouth to protest… and Obi-Wan rested a hand on his shoulder to still him. For once, he obeyed. 

"Under consideration, we will take this." Yoda looked around the chamber. "Encounter the Sith, we may. Vigilance, and duty, we must have."

Obi-Wan's jaw firmed as he heard the command implicit in that. Recovering Qui-Gon would not be the goal.

He refused to let that be the end of it.

* * *

"What are you going to do?" Anakin asked softly, as they shared a booth in the back of Dex's.

Obi-Wan considered the question, considered his padawan. "I stand by my words, Anakin. I don't want you in danger of being captured, as I firmly believe Qui-Gon could not possibly have Fallen, so much as been brain-washed into this. I don't want you to face whatever they did to him."

"I get that, Master, and I appreciate the concern, but you're going to need help if you're going to capture him. The fact he revealed himself to you says he's probably bait in a trap."

"You are entirely correct, my padawan. And it would play into that trap for me to take you along, once I locate him."

Adi Gallia slid into the booth beside Obi-Wan just then, as Siri Tachi took the side with Anakin. "And that, my young friend, is why you and your padawan will not go alone. I disagree with what Master Yoda intends. Qui-Gon would never choose the Sith. They are an affront to the Living Force."

Obi-Wan took a shaky breath. "I plan to meditate, touch the training bond, and see if I can find him. Will you and Siri—"

"Of course we will," Siri told him firmly. "Ferus is training with Luminara and Barriss currently, to strengthen his healing arts. So that's one less worry."

"We will need Anakin with us," Adi said, "in order to present the full goal the Sith evidently wants. Because I agree. I think your padawan is most at risk in this gambit."

"Why?" Anakin asked, face scrunching up. 

Obi-Wan had to smile at his young friend. "Because, Anakin, Qui-Gon is the one that first believed you are the Chosen One. Which is now something the Sith are aware of."

"Bunch of stupid prophecies. I just want to be a Jedi and help people."

Adi smiled, and nodded. "Still, with you two visible, and us for backup, we might be able to recover Qui-Gon. And bring him home to be helped."

"I pray so, Master Adi," Obi-Wan breathed.

* * *

The trap opened, and Obi-Wan crossed sabers with his opponent. Anakin worked around the edges, getting thrown back hard as the warrior managed a Force push when he wasn't braced.

Then Adi and Siri rushed in, and while the Knight guarded the padawan, a Master and Obi-Wan fought the Sith with all they were. They were wearing down the man's defenses, as Adi used her years of experience in sparring the man, in combat the galaxy wide, to make openings for Obi-Wan.

The Sith, knowing he was outmatched, looked for the escape, and that was when Siri unleashed the last surprise, throwing a taser dart that embedded and delivered a powerful charge to drop the Sith. Adi followed the warrior to the platform, dropping on her knees as she gathered all her will into a powerful command.

"Sleep!"

Overcome, the warrior could not resist, and sprawled unconscious. Now, Obi-Wan moved forward, dropping beside the head to push back the face coverings, revealing an older, scarred face he knew too well.

"It is him," he whispered. "I—"

"Shh, my friend. Shh." Adi put an arm around his shoulders, giving quiet comfort.

* * *

The rescuers were all soundly scolded by the Council, with talk of removing Adi from her place, yet Obi-Wan did not care. He watched his Master floating in a bacta tank, sedated against the chance he was still very much a danger to all. He wished for Tahl, stronger than he had in the years since they had lost her. She probably could have fixed Qui-Gon's mind.

The brief consciousness that Qui-Gon had been allowed had shown him to be nearly mindless, actually, his personality stripped, and only skills and orders remaining. 

He was pushed out of his reverie by Master Yoda, ears flat against his head, but moving so quietly that Obi-Wan actually startled.

"Help him, we shall," the Grand Master stated. "If success we have, think you he will see this as mercy?"

Obi-Wan frowned. "I could not let him go without trying, Master, and if he is half the man I believed in most of my life, he will come back from this with more will to fight than ever."

"Right, I hope you are. Go now; a padawan you have. Leave to me, my grand-padawan, you will."

"But—"

"Always arguing, my line is! Insist, I do!"

* * *

Obi-Wan was a wreck of nerves. He didn't want to leave the Temple, yet duty demanded it. Taking his padawan with him, he attended to a negotiation of trade rights, handling it with such brutal efficiency that they were back in less than a week. Anakin was worried for his Master, and on his best behavior. Unexpectedly, this was leading to a stronger friendship between them, as Anakin's need to protect and care for his loved ones kicked in hard.

It was Anakin who opened the door when it chimed, his eyes going wide as he saw Master Yoda and Master Jinn there. "Greetings," he said, stumbling over the word.

"Greetings, padawan." Yoda waited for him to move and then led the silent man inside the shared apartment. Obi-Wan came out, and stopped in the doorway of his room, the room that had been Qui-Gon's, staring.

"Masters," he finally said, his voice soft.

"Hmm, with you I leave Qui-Gon," Yoda said. "Your padawan, I will take with me."

Anakin gave Yoda a skittish look, but went to get his shoes and outer tunic on. Obi-Wan looked at the Grand Master, but could determine nothing. 

"Please sit, Master Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said indicating the couch. A small flare of hope sprang forth, as Qui-Gon took the very spot that had always been his in the past.

Shortly, it was just the pair of them in the apartment, and Obi-Wan had settled on the couch near Qui-Gon, uncertain of this entire circumstance.

Qui-Gon looked at him, and Obi-Wan made himself meet that gaze, expecting the emptiness that had been present when he had first stopped back by Master Yoda's rooms.

Instead, he saw pain. That made him move closer, reaching out slowly once he was on the cushion beside his Master. His hand was caught and held by Qui-Gon's far one, while the man struggled to find the right words.

"Master Yoda said you chose to find and save me." The voice was rough, as if not used in a long while. 

"It was not just me, Master. Master Adi and Siri, as well as Anakin, helped me."

Qui-Gon nodded slowly. "I do not remember very much. But I know you."

Obi-Wan's heart fluttered in his chest to hear that. "You do?"

The elder man nodded, his scars that had to have come from injuries incurred after Obi-Wan thought him lost, pulling tight as he frowned. "Master Yoda suggested you might be able to help me remember more."

"I will do all I can, Master."

The man's face reflected a deeper pain for a moment, then he squeezed the hand he was holding. "Qui-Gon. You are a Knight. Not my padawan any longer. Call me by my name."

"Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said, all too aware it sounded more like a prayer than a name. The pain on the man's face eased some, and he nodded.

"Yes. Obi-Wan."

* * *

Yoda looked at the boy, well-aware of the distrust and unease. However, Yoda was not one to let that deter him. Things he had felt, the way his grand-padawan's mind had been locked away, all of it made him determined to be a stronger presence for this child of his lineage.

"Time, Master Jinn needs. Unlock his mind, your master will," Yoda said. "Until then, challenge me to keep up with you, yes?" he invited the boy, his demeanor more friendly than ever before. Facing Qui-Gon's malady had brought up so many failings, as the man's only comfort and method to cope with the pain in his soul was to call up Obi-Wan's face, time and again.

Maybe, just maybe, attachment wasn't so evil.

"If you say so, Master," Anakin said skeptically.

"Go, we will; tend to unfinished business, put your mind at ease it will," Yoda told him. "Easier to release fear, it is, when it has been limited by truth and knowing."

Anakin's eyes scrunched up a little, but if he was in Yoda's keeping, all he could do was go along.

* * *

Routine was soon set, with Obi-Wan guiding their days. Breakfast, meditations, lunch, kata, stories told, dinner, and then they would settle to read or listen to music. Day in and day out, while Obi-Wan tried not to fret over Anakin, whom Yoda had taken off-planet. He tried to see the progress they were making in every thing Qui-Gon volunteered as a memory, thought, or action.

In truth, Obi-Wan felt nearly as helpless as he had in those weeks following Tatooine, swept along in a current he could not escape.

They could come so close in meditation, the past elusive but whispered on the edges of their shared consciousness. And Obi-Wan would spend the rest of the day struggling to find any way at all possible to bring those memories into true focus, wanting to see and hear and feel his Master as he should be.

Trying to help Qui-Gon recover was both a shield against his emotions for the man and a ragged cutting edge of them. He'd never impose his inappropriateness on Qui-Gon, even healthy, yet it was never far from his mind as they tried to fix the damage done.

"You can't do it all on your own," Adi said, one evening as they ate together. Qui-Gon looked at the woman, who he was told had helped save him and had been a close friend once. Obi-Wan, however, glared at her.

"It's a cooperative effort," he said defensively.

"Between you two, and there is no doubt that Master Yoda was correct to assign you to each other to work on it… but the strain is showing on you, Obi-Wan, to the point that I'm not certain you both don't need a break."

Qui-Gon looked at the younger man on that, saw the complete rebellion against Adi's words… and felt something in his mind.

Obi-Wan did not want to fail him? Obi-Wan was afraid?

He blinked, and then answered Adi. "That may be needed in the future, but I think Obi-Wan and I are making progress without any other influence at present," he rumbled confidently, to protect Obi-Wan from those emotional demons.

His answer made the woman look at him and then slowly smile, making it clear that Qui-Gon had done something very correctly. More, Obi-Wan was just looking at him with something akin to worship, which stirred yet more memory and emotion toward the top of Qui-Gon's mind.

* * *

Obi-Wan rose from his bed to go check on Qui-Gon, feeling vaguely disturbed but not sure why. His former Master was sleeping in Anakin's room, during the padawan's absence, which had felt wrong but made the most sense. He stepped just inside the open door, clad in a pair of leggings and nothing more, to see Qui-Gon in a very uncustomary ball in the middle of the bed. That had Obi-Wan crossing to the bed to curl around the larger man's back, not even thinking through it. 

His fingers alighted on some of the scars that Qui-Gon had come home to them with, fueling his awareness that whatever the Sith had done to the man had been brutal.

//Qui-Gon?// Obi-Wan sent down their bond, when Qui-Gon's only reaction was to curl tighter.

The probing, gentle question of his name made the elder man reach, grabbing hold of the mental connection like a drowning man with a rope thrown to him. Flickers of pain, of fear, of anger lanced through Obi-Wan, along with a face that he dimly knew from old lectures he'd seen in his classes as a padawan. Those drew up bile in Obi-Wan's throat, but he blanked his anger, focusing instead on sending Qui-Gon calming thoughts and encouragement to push through the horrid memories, to find who he was under it all.

//Padawan. Mine. Loved one. Anchor.//

Those concepts barreled into Obi-Wan's mind, accompanied by a frenzy of memories. Images of himself through Qui-Gon's eyes at many points of his life, all shaded in pride and love, started blotting out the horrors. Qui-Gon stirred from his ball as the memory flood continued, until he turned and was face to face with Obi-Wan, the dim light revealing that the elder man was fully awake now.

"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon called gently, as the younger man was caught in a paralysis of shock at the full weight of **knowing** how deeply the emotions ran between them. "Dear one, you must speak to me," he said when Obi-Wan's eyes clouded with tears.

"You… you're back?"

"I think so, yes," Qui-Gon said softly. "Adi prodding at you, making you so stubbornly protective started something in my head, and then, when you came to pull me out of that torture in my sleep… it finished it."

Obi-Wan couldn't quite hold back the sob of relief, and that had the elder man pulling him in tight against his chest.

"Shh, my padawan-no-more," Qui-Gon said softly. "We'll heal together now, dear one."

"Forgive me?" Obi-wan all but begged. He didn't even know if it was for abandoning Qui-Gon, for the emotions that clouded his heart and mind, or something else.

"There is no need, my own. None at all, for you did just as you ought to have then… and how could I ever turn away from what I feel inside you when I feel the same?"

Obi-Wan tilted his head up to see his Master's face as best he could in the dim light, and slowly relaxed into that strong truth in their bond, and in the peace that had come to that scarred face.

"We will heal, together," Obi-Wan agreed then.

"And… we'll learn who twisted my Master so far from himself," Qui-Gon agreed. "Once we, and your padawan, are acclimated to one another."

That promise suited Obi-Wan, as he relaxed into knowing there was a future ahead of them that would be stronger and whole for them both.


End file.
